Current-motor



F. L. GILMAN AND W. M. BAUM. cunnfnr Moo.

APPLICATION FILED FEI. 25, |918. RENEVIED FEB. l2. 1920.

1,353,906. Pantedsept. 28,1920.

lg@ f@ UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANK L. GILMAN AND WILLIS M. BAUM, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

CURRENT-MOTOR.

Patented Sept. 28, 1920.

Application led February 25, 1918, Serial No. 219,042. Renewed February 12, 1920. Serial No. 358 132.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, FRANK L. GILMAN and WILLIS M. BAUM, both citizens of the United States, and residents of Los Angeles,

county of Los Angeles, State of California,

have invented Acertain new and useful Improvements in Current-Motors, of which the following is a specification.

Uur inventionf relates to mechanism for utilizing the flow of streams to develop power and was designed primarily for the purpose of utilizing the power thus developed to operate apump or pumps, the pumps in turn being used to pump water out of the stream to be used for Various purposes such as irrigating, sluicing in mining and the like and the object thereof is to produce mechanism for this purpose which will be simple in construction and operation and which will continue in operation with a minimum of attention.

A further object is to provide a device of this character which can be constructed in units, these units to be connected together to Brovde greater or less power as desired.

ther obJects and advantages will appear hereinafter and while we have shown and will describe the preferred form of our invention, it will be understood that we do not limit ourselves to such form but that various changes and adaptations may be made therein without departing from the spirit of our invention.

We accomplish the above objects by the mechanism described herein and illustrated in the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof in which- Figure 1 is a top plan of a form of our invention.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of Fig. 1. Referring to the drawings our device comprises two elongated cylindrical iioats or pontoons 30 and 31, which normally lie len thwise of the stream, being anchored in position by cables 47, 48, 49, and 50. Near each end on the underside of said pontoons 3() and 31 are secured downwardly extending, oppositely disposeoL'L-shaped hangers 33a and 34. Secured near their ends to the free ends of hangers 33a and 34, transversely of the pontoons 30 and 31 are guide rails or tracks 32 and 33, (best shown in Fig. 2) and upon these rails are mounted carriages 35 and 36, by means of grooved wheels 37 and 38, to travel longitudinally. Secured, at a distance from each end, to the lower end ot carriages 35 and 36, to extend parallel with rails 32 and 33, are cross rails 40 and 42, and pivotally secured intermediate their ends to the underside of said cross rails are a plurality ot propeller blades 13. lt will be noted that blades 13 are pivoted to cross rails 40 and 42 so that the upstream ends are longer than the downstream ends, the purpose oi which is to offer a greater area of said blade to the action of the current on the upstream side of its pivot so that as soon as the blade reaches a point a little past the longitudinal center when being reversed the greater area of resistance will cause the water to quickly force the blades to their maximum position. Blades 13 are mounted to normally lic slightly angular to the longitudinal direction of the current and pontoons and have their free ends connected together in equally spaced relation b tie bars 43.

Pivotal y secured at one of its ends to the upper face of cross rail 40, near one end thereof is a reversing bar 41, the other end ot which extends to a point a little beyond cross rail 42. lntermediat`e its ends reversing ba r 4l is provided with a longitudinally extending slot 44 in which is mounted the tree end of a pin 45 secured to and extending upwardly from the tie bar 43 which connects the upstream or longer ends of the blades 13 of the cross rail to which it is pivoted. A pin 4G extends upwardly from cross rail 42 at one side of the free end of reversing bar 41, and a similar pin 46*L extends upwardly from said rail at the other side of said bar. A similar reversing bar 41a and adjunct parts are provided for cross rail 42. The free ends of rails 40 and 42 are connected in any suitable manner to the piston of a pump or any other device for taking oil the power developed by the motor.

In the operation of our motor.

As shown in the drawings, the lower end ol Fig. l bein the upstream end, cross rail 40 has reached the limit of its travel to the lett, und has ust reversed the direction of the blades mounted on cross rail 42, it being understood that owing to the upstream ends of the blades being longer than the downstream ends it is only necessary to move the blades a little past the longitudinal center thereof when the action of the current will complete the movement. Rail 42 will then start ro move across the stream to the ri ht and pin 46 will engage the free end of ar 41 of ruil 40 and reverse the direction of its blades, it being understood that ,this reversing takes place just before rail 42 reaches its limit ol movement. Ruil 40 will then stzirt to move :xr-,ross the stream to the right and pin 4U on said rail will, at the proper time, engage the free end of reversing bar 4l, and upon further movement 0f rail 40, reverse the blades 13 of rail 42, when rail 42 will Commence to move across the stream to the left. Continued movement of rail 42 will cause pin 4:6 thereon to engage the free end of reversing bar 41 and reverse the direction of the blades 13 of rail 40, when said rail will commence to move across the stream to the left, pin 46 on rail 40 engaging the free end of reversing bar 4:1a and reversing the blades of rail 42. This motion will be continuous es long as the water in the stream Hows, irst one and then the other ruil and its blades beingJ forced across the stream and being reversed as above described.

Havingr described our invention what We claim is:

A current motor comprising a pair of pontoons anchored in pdrallel relation on opposite sides of a stream; :L pair of guide rails connecting said pontoons et each end thereof; a traveling carriage mounted at each end of each of seid pair o rails and extending downwardly therefrom; a cross ruil carried by each pair of said carriages; e plurality of propeller blades pivotally mounted intermediate their ends on the underside of seid cross rails; cross bars connecting the free ends of said propeller blades; means actuated by said propeller blades for reversing the same; and e connection from said propeller blades to transmit the power developed thereby.

In witness that We claim the foregoing we have hereunto subscribed our names this 15th day of February 1918.

FRANK L. GILMAN. WILLIS M BAUM. 

